Kachiwku said on Monday that oil Output in July was slightly below 1.8 million bpd.

"We continue to have challenges, some of our pipelines are old, so these are basically technical. They are not militancy-induced stoppages, but they are basically maintenance-induced stoppages," said Kachikwu, who spoke on the sidelines of an event in Abuja.

Nigeria's oil output has rebounded this year, aided by government efforts to placate militants in the Niger Delta region where the bulk of the country's crude is produced.

However, government agencies have struggled to maintain peak output levels.

The crude oil exports are even expected to fall to 1.72 million barrels per day in October, according to loading programmes.